For forming a belt splice, typically a conveyor belt is cut across its width at two locations to form squared ends of the belt that are then joined or spliced together with mechanical fasteners. Applicant's assignee herein has a belt cutter (the “840 Series Belt Cutter”) that has a long clamp bar with a pair of spring loaded, clamping mechanisms that clamp the conveyor belt between the clamp bar and a long base member. Thereafter, a cutting handle is operated to drive a cutting blade through the belt from one side of the belt to the other. In this belt cutter, the clamp bar has an inverted U-shaped configuration with opposite legs of the clamp bar clamping on the conveyor belt on either side of cutting blade. It has been found that this clamping arrangement on either side of the cutting blade requires that an operator apply an unduly large amount of torque on the drive handle for driving the cutting blade through the belt.
The applicant's assignee's prior belt cutting apparatus had the pair of spring loaded clamping mechanisms associated with the clamp bar at locations approximately midway between the center of the long clamp bar and the adjacent clamp bar end. The positioning of the clamp mechanisms closer to the center of the clamp bar is in an effort to minimize deflection of the clamp bar at the center portion thereof during clamping. These spring loaded clamping mechanisms generate concentrated clamping forces between the clamp bar and base member on the conveyor belt at the locations under the clamping mechanisms. Since the long clamp bar member extends well beyond the clamping mechanisms, these outer portions of the long, clamp member tend to bow upwardly with application of the high clamping forces to the conveyor belt. Further, since these clamping mechanisms employed compression springs, it has been found to be difficult to maintain a constant clamp force therewith as belt thicknesses vary. Although other belt cutters have employed direct drive-type screw clamping mechanisms to better control the clamp force, these belt cutters required that an operator take too much time to turn the screw mechanisms to drive the clamp bar down into secure, clamping engagement with the conveyor belt to be cut, especially for relatively thin conveyor belts.
Accordingly, there is a need for a cutting apparatus for a conveyor belt that more efficiently transmits applied torque from the cutting blade drive handle to the cutting blade for easier cutting of a conveyor belt. Further, a conveyor belt cutting apparatus that has improved control over clamping forces for clamping on varying thicknesses of conveyor belts and that more quickly clamps on a belt would be desirable.